Minch Yaddle
*Rey }} Yaddle, also known as "The One Below", was a renowned female Jedi Master, who went on to serve the Jedi Order for over a century. A member of the same species as fellow Jedi Yoda Minch, whom she later married. Yaddle trained dozens of apprectices in her time as a Jedi Master, including Oppo Rancisis, who would later join Yaddle on the Jedi Council, and the brash and overconfident Empatojayos Brand. After completing Brand's training, Yaddle did not take another apprentice. Biography Early life Yaddle was born a Groglyn in 545 BBY on the planet Dagobah. Not much was known about Yaddle's early life other than she grew up in the same village where Yoda was from and that she began her Jedi training at some point in her first two-hundred years of life. Jedi Training Almost three hundred years before the Battle of Yavin, Jedi Knight Polvin Kut and his apprentice Yaddle were dispatched to the planet Koba, located in the Colonies region of space. They had been sent to liberate the planet from the Advozse warlord known as Tulak, who held the planet unlawfully in his tyrannical grip. Polvin Kut had planned to enlist the assistance of a small resistance movement, who were angry with Tulak's exploitation of the people of Koba. However, the two Jedi were betrayed by Tulak's spies within the Koban resistance before they had even reached Koba's outer moon. Tulak, who had come up against the Jedi many times before and held a deep hatred for the Jedi Order, set up an ambush for the two peacekeepers. The Advozse madman used his vast amounts of Koban slaves as warriors against Kut and Yaddle in battle over the Koban Gorge. Polvin Kut, who was not as completely impervious to the dark side as most Jedi, had been tracking Tulak for decades after the Advozse murdered his family. Surrounded by Tulak's slaves and soldiers, who were brandishing primitive axes and blasters, Polvin Kut let revenge affect his reactions, and, more importantly, his judgment. In an vain attempt to kill Tulak, Kut left himself open for attack, and was killed and beheaded by Tulak's slaves, leaving his Padawan Yaddle alone against dozens of vicious fighters. Imprisonment Yaddle was captured and imprisoned in a chamber deep beneath the ground by Tulak, and subjected to various forms of torture. However, the green-skinned Padawan did not give in Tulak's torture, refusing to tell him when the next Jedi would arrive to challenge the brutal Advozse warlord after many interrogations. Yaddle simply replied that Tulak's reign of terror would end. Tulak, furious that Yaddle was not buckling under torture, decided to keep Yaddle as a hostage, even though she would not submit to his questioning. After reaping everything and everyone he could from the planet, Tulak decided that he had had enough of Koba, and prepared to make his way to another world, leaving his trusted marshals to watch over the remote planet. All of Tulak's previous attempts at breaking Yaddle had proved unsuccessful, and his original plan to exploit Yaddle's young naivety had failed. Rather than killing his captive, Tulak cruelly imprisoned Yaddle for life in her underground pit, in case she ever became useful as a hostage in the future. Tulak soon forgot of Polvin Kut's young apprentice, although the people of Koba did not. Yaddle's wardens taunted and jeered Yaddle through a gap in the ceiling in order to gain favor with Tulak's marshals. Yaddle stayed in solitary confinement in her underground prison for over a century, and her only source of provisions were the wardens, who sent down baskets of fruit and vegetables for a time, however as supplies on Koba ran low, the wardens became so preoccupied with their own survival that they slowly forgot about the "One Below". Yaddle's existence became the stuff of legend, and although a few pitiful beings continued to send food down the shaft as a sort of ritual, Yaddle relied on the Force for survival. During her many decades of isolation, Yaddle reflected upon the lessons of her late Master again and again—she embraced and eventually achieved unity with the Force. Many vicious predators wandered into Yaddle's cave, and she to learn the art of combat—an aspect of the Force she had little experience in—for survival, using a simple wooden stick to defeat vicious creatures several times her size. She became known as the "One Below" by the Kobans. Escape Yaddle had resigned to the fact that she could not escape, and had come to peace with herself, when Yaddle was presented with an opportunity for escape. Large shifts in the planet's mantle had caused powerful earthquakes all over Koba. The impoverished people of Koba, still recovering from Tulak's tyrannical reign, were not prepared for such natural disasters, and could do nothing to stop the remains of their once-spectacular civilization fall to pieces. An earthquake caused a minor avalanche in Yaddle's pit, and for the first time in over a century, the young Jedi apprentice saw daylight. Yaddle's happiness at finally escaping did not last long. She sensed suffering and despair all around her—what had remained after the various famines and plagues had now been decimated by the earthquakes. Yaddle had long since forgiven the past generations of Kobans who had acted as her jailers, and she felt deeply sorry for the people who were suffering because of Tulak's oppressive time in charge. She provided as much help to the Kobans as she possibly could, and, with the Kobans struggling to rebuild their broken society, Yaddle declined a request to return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to resume her Jedi training, declaring that she would not return while her work on Koba remained unfinished. Although the work was difficult, and the resources had been almost depleted, the people of Koba were inspired to continue rebuilding their broken world by Yaddle's spirit and dedication. They built a bridge in Polvin Kut's name over the gorge he had been killed in, in honor of the late Jedi Knight. Yaddle became the savior of the Koban population, but she refused to accept any honors or rewards. She worked with the children of Koba, teaching them what she had learned as a Jedi apprentice. Tulak's son, Kalut, had replaced his father as warlord, and had come to Koba to claim his inheritance. Kalut was even more ruthless than his father, and intended to take whatever was worth taking from the devastated planet, and then leave it for good. He fired upon the villages, destroying much of what the Kobans had rebuilt. Kalut and his fellow Advozse soldiers arrived at Yaddle's village, disgusted at the poor condition the villagers were in. Deciding they would be useless as slaves or warriors, Kalut stole the Kobans few valuables. Although the Kobans were too weak to fight, Yaddle was not. She challenged Kalut, and when he refused to leave the Kobans in peace, Yaddle engaged him in a duel. Yaddle, using only the wooden stick with which she had honed her combat abilities during her imprisonment, defeated the Advozse dictator, liberating the Koban people. Mastery When Yaddle returned to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Jedi Council determined that she had achieved unity with the Force and that she did not need any additional training. The Council proposed that Yaddle be elevated to the position of Jedi Master, and offered a seat on the Jedi Council, even though she was still an apprentice. Master Yoda, feeling that it was too strong a deviance from the typical Jedi training, was the only Council member against Yaddle's elevation. However, through examining her story and through a quick glimpse into her future, Yoda backed down, and allowed Yaddle to join the ranks of the Jedi Council despite still having some doubts. From then on, the two Groglyns bonded and began a friendship. Yaddle was eventually appointed as the head of the Librarians' Assembly, working with curator Ashka Boda to maintain the Jedi Temple's vast collections of various holocrons, scrolls and Sith artifacts, as well as gathering and studying new books and artifacts to increase Jedi learning. Under Yaddle's leadership, the assembly increased the collection, and made several important discoveries. When not at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Yaddle stayed at the auxiliary Jedi training center at Kamparas, offering important lessons to initiates. Eventually, her and Yoda's friendship evolved into one of love and both resolved to take a less active role in Jedi affairs and return to their homeworld. They also felt that the Jedi Order, much like the Republic itself, was growing more corrupt. After returning to Dagobah, Yaddle would give birth to a son: Yoder. She went on to train dozens of Jedi initiates alongside her husband, including Oppo Rancisis, Empatojayos Brand as well as their son. Rancisis, a Thisspiasian male, was a shrewd tactician and a practitioner of battle meditation. Empatojayos Brand was brash and overconfident, and Yaddle did not take another apprentice after Brand passed his Trials for Knighthood until the arrival of Luke Skywalker in 3 ABY. When Luke Skywalker, arrived on Dagobah, Yoda reluctantly agreed to train him in the ways of the Force. Yoda later introduced the novice Jedi to Yaddle and she imparted on him some of her vast knowledge. Skywalker would prematurely leave before finishing his Jedi training in an effort to save his friends from Darth Vader, who unknown to him at the time was in actuality his father. Soon after this, Yoda's health began to decline and Yaddle had to take on a more active role in caring after him. Skywalker returned a year later to complete his training, and Yaddle advised the young man after his discovery that Vader was father and that Yoda was dying. Skywalker believed that it was possible for his father to be redeemed, and though the spirit of Ben Kenobi was pessimistic about the possibility, Yaddle was less so. Soon, Skywalker would leave once again and Yaddle shared one final exchange with her husband before his passing. Luke Skywalker's mission was a success: Emperor Cosimo II was killed by Darth Vader during the Liberation of Coruscant after defecting from the Galactic Empire and reclaiming his former identity as Anakin Skywalker. In the time that followed, Skywalker's son, Luke, began training a new generation of Jedi warriors. Queen of Mount Yoda Still living on her homeworld years after Yoda's death, Yaddle resided in a lakeside castle which was home to the ancient protocol droid ME-8D9, nicknamed "Emmie." The castle was built on a dead volcano named Mount Yoda, and was built and previously occupied by the New Republic to serve as a research installation. Yaddle became reputed for giving credits, equipment, and connections to young smugglers, often allowing them a day in her home for free or a long-term stay for rent. In addition to hosting smugglers and pirates, Yaddle housed traveling musicians, and she hired a majordomo who oversaw the castle's activities and a kitchen crew headed by the Artiodac chef Strono Tuggs, who knew Yaddle centuries earlier. Personality and traits Yaddle Minch was known as a wise, friendly, gentile and motherly woman. In her younger days, she became one of the most revered members of the Jedi Order, and her fellow Jedi would often consu lt her for her wisdom and knowledge on many subjects. She came to be known as one of the most compassionate and thoughtful Jedi Masters. In fact, Yaddle was so compassionate that she helped the people of Koba rebuild their society even though they had trapped her in a cave for a century. And instead of resenting the Kobans, she actually felt sorry for them. Yaddle was also a mentor to many of the students in the Jedi Order, offering help and advice to troubled students. She was also known to have turned a blind eye to any pranks the students would make, and even to have slipped sweets in their pockets. During Luke's training, Yaddle willingly gave the young student advice whenever he needed it, and helped to console him when she felt Yoda was being too tough on him. Yaddle was also very intuitive, having the habit of summing up conclusions that others would have reached eventually. Although, the two didn't really like each other at first, Yoda and Yaddle eventually grew very close, and over time their relationship even blossomed into a long lasting romance until Yoda's own death. The two had one son, Yoder Minch, a Jedi Master who would have a profound impact during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Yaddle was also known as an extensive collector of many different items. Over time, Yaddle's personal collection of artifacts and trinkets grew so large that she could fill several rooms with them as was the case when Luke arrived at their home on Dagobah. Yoda was even known to playfully make fun of Yaddle for her hoarding of items. Powers and abilities Yaddle's exposure to little-known aspects of the Force granted her powers rarely used by Jedi, including the ancient and forbidden Jedi combat art of Morichro, a technique which enabled the user to rapidly slow down the bodily functions of its target to the point of death. This, and many other dark secrets, were kept securely by Yaddle and her colleagues in the Jedi Library. Yaddle was also known for possessing the extremely rare Force Light power, being the only known Jedi of her time who was able to use the power. Appearances *''Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back'' *''Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' *''Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'' }} Notes and references Category:Females Category:Jedi Purge survivors Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:Post-Ruusan Jedi High Council members Category:Inhabitants of Dagobah Category:Post-Ruusan Jedi Masters Category:Whills Category:Force-sensitives